The Chairman of the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO) Howard Politini has called on Pacific leaders to exert their influence in accessing Green Climate Fund.
Speaking at a press conference in Apia, after their meeting with the Forum Leaders yesterday, Politini said the region should use Fiji’s COP23 Presidency as leverage to access the funds.
“The funding that is become available under the Green Climate Fund it is difficult to access for small Island states.
“So I pleaded with the leaders because it comes through government level, they would have to negotiate for this to try to use their influence particularly that we have the COP23 chairmanship in the Pacific the most vulnerable through Fiji.
“But to use that as a leverage to try and simplify the process so that those funds which will benefit not only private sector but government, private sector, infrastructure and all civil societies are made more accessible,” said Politini.
For the very first time, the region's private sector organisation met with Forum leaders at the leaders annual meeting.
According to Politini , the main emphasis remains that the private sector are the drivers of economies in the Pacific.
Photo caption: PIPSO chairman Howard Politini at the press conference in Apia, Samoa